A Time to Laugh? A Theology of Joy and Laughter

We know that laughter can help us deal with failure, build relationships and is great for our wellbeing, but does it have anything teach us about God? Christianity has had a very mixed relationship with it: the puritans condemned it and St John Crysostom said unequivocally that laughter leads to sin. But in the medieval church, clergy at the Easter service told uproarious jokes so that the congregation greeted the Resurrection with an outburst of joyful laughter, and the writer of Ecclesiastes says that there is a time to laugh, as well as a time to weep.

Tricia Hillas and Andrew Corsie say that laughter can lead us into a deeper understanding of God and what it means to be the children of God, and in this talk will explore its place in the spiritual life, as well as the place of delight, wonder and joy. Tricia Hillas is Canon Pastor at St Paul’s Cathedral and Andrew Corsie is the Rector of St Nicolas, Perivale; old friends, they have worked and laughed together for many years.